


A short childhood story of Tanaka Gundam

by CheshireSmile



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Animal Death, Childhood, Gen, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2013-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-24 04:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/935350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireSmile/pseuds/CheshireSmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's ok, everything leaves me at some point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A short childhood story of Tanaka Gundam

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this is my first serious fanfiction and I'm kinda embarrassed about it, so I'm very sorry for what you are being subjected to
> 
> It's also a one-off so some things were not written in order to keep it short, I guess it's kind of a drabble.
> 
> (Gundam's free time events are kind of referenced in this, so spoiler for that I suppose.  
> Especially his 4th where I took one of the lines haha.)

A wisp of cigarette smoke mingled with the unsavory sounds of sobbing. A small boy, bearing pitch-black hair and straight clean-cut bangs that hung over the tops of his eyes pulled on a dark jacket for his departure outside. The source of the streaming tears began to cough and sniffle, gasping in breaths as she tried to give her weary throat a break. As the young boy slipped into his boots he heard her cries grow quiet, the very sound of her sadness lulling her to sleep. His mother would often do this during the evening after he greeted her with a hug. The sight of her weakened smile as she pulled him in his arms flickered in his mind, softly fading as he snapped back to reality. If he wanted to leave, he better be quick before his mother woke up. She did not need another thing to cry about tonight.

Ever so gently he opened the front door of his house. A rush of cold wind whipped across his cheek, leaving it a slight tinge of red. His eyes squinted a bit as he pushed the collar of his coat up against his mouth. He took his first steps outside and turned around, having just one more peek inside his dim and empty house before closing the door completely. 

The sky was painted orange and red, the colours mixing together so sweetly that it reminded him of candy. In the distance, the wind brushed against the trees and shook their few coloured leaves: some detached and disappeared into the horizon, others clung to their branches, and a few gracefully fell down to the ground. His eyes stared at the nearly barren trees ahead of him and he gave a half-hearted wave. Being alone was easier to swallow when you imagine the few things around you can feel. He headed down into the depths of the forest, disregarding the dangers of being out alone at such a time. 

Each time a leaf cracked under the weight of his foot, he made sure to pay attention to it. The sounds helped calm his mind. His thoughts would wander off when he walked. He would remember the books he had read quietly at school or the subjects that had been introduced that day. Yet, his train of thought would always go back to the people who he had encountered and their disappearing glares, the way they snickered from behind about the few words he had said or the few things he had done. If the sound of a leaf being crushed were all he had to derail such distractions, then he would do his best to pay attention to them and only them.

A quiet chirp made its way into his ears from behind some bushes. His head turned as he bit the skin on his finger lightly. By now, most birds should have migrated, right? He stood there for a moment, thinking about the different possibilities of a why bird would sound so close. Another chirp brought him back from the depths of his mind. He decided to quietly approach the area, reaching out his arms and glancing over the shrubbery. 

On the ground of the forest, raking up leaves with its feet, was a small bird. Its wing hung limply at its side, spreading out and dragging against the dirt floor. Tanaka tilted his head to the right. Its wing was broken, that much was obvious, but he found himself stuck on what to do. Wild animals are known for having diseases and he wasn’t sure how his mother would react to a bird in their house. His head turned up to look at the sky. Winter was going to hit soon, if he left right now, it would perish from the weather if it had not been first hunted by the predators still around. His eyes met the creature once more. Finally, he quietly maneuvered around the trees to approach it.

The bird whipped its head around to look at him, hopping away with its wing still in tow. Tanaka halted as it attempted to back away from him, sensing the danger from his towering figure. He gently placed himself on his knees and tried to inch himself towards the animal, speaking hushed words of encouragement, much like a chant.  
“It’s ok, it’s ok, everything's ok, you’re all right, it’s all right” he cooed. If it got too tense, he would pause and allow it time to relax, if he was to take it home he had to make sure he wouldn’t get any wounds in the process, less his mother inquire about the source of them. Finally, the bird began to stay still. Tanaka outstretched his hand toward the delicate creature, making sure to keep them still in front of it before moving any further. Slowly, he cupped the bird in his hands as it pushed its feet up inside of them. 

He stood up and smiled softly at the bird.  
“You’re supposed to be with the others, right? I’m sorry they left you here…”  
Thinking for a moment, he decided to give his newfound friend a name.  
“Aiko.” He said finally. Judging by the bird’s dull colours, it seemed to be female, at least. 

A cold burst of air swept past his body. He shivered underneath his coat. Tanaka turned around and headed back to his home. In the back of his mind he wondered if he was doing the right thing. If he kept Aiko for too long, she would become dependent on him and would not be able to return to the wild. If he left her here, there’s no doubt she would die. 

With thoughts still heavy in his mind he quietly entered his home. He kept his hands close to his body, leaning over slightly as to obscure the view in case his mother had woken up by now. Fortunately, her sleeping figure was still on the couch. Her arms hung limply over the edge of the furniture. Even in the dim lighting her cheeks glistened like stars. The blanket covering her body was jumbled and loose. It only covered her legs. He pulled the cover over the rest of her body and rested it on her shoulders. Quietly, he hurried upstairs to tend to his guest.

\------

Akio seemed to be recovering at a slow and steady pace. She would hop along the furniture and chirp happily when beside Tanaka. The bandages he had put on her were fitted to perfection and he was quite happy that she was able to move so freely in them. During the late nights when he couldn’t sleep and was done studying, he would read different stories to her on his bed as she snuggled in the covers. The school days became a lot more bearable with her in his life. It gave him a reason to be overjoyed at the thought of returning to his home. His worries seemed much less prominent and his life was more relaxed than he ever thought it could be.

At school, where the chatter of friends filled the hostile air until the bark of the teacher silenced them all, it was asked of the class to write a story of a happy moment in their life, a moment they wished they could last forever. When the bell rang, the kids talked about what they would write about, which they would most likely procrastinate on until the last day: a trip to the amusement park, the meeting of their best friend, a variety of very typical things that one would expect. Tanaka clutched his knees, grasping the fabric that covered them as he looked at the bare surface of his desk. The teacher began to wipe away at the board. Hesitantly, he got up and grabbed his backpack and left the school, eyes never leaving the ground as he walked.

His pencil tapped against his desk as he thought of different scenarios. He couldn’t remember the last thing that made him genuinely smile. Perhaps it was when he was ignorant enough to believe he was wanted, or when his father was still here to complete the family. Unfortunately, he did not even know if such a time existed, as the image of his father completely slipped his mind. He sighed, the heavy thoughts tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looked at the blank sheet of paper below him. He would just have to make one up, then.

He felt something soft graze the palm of his hand. His head turned to look at what it was. A fluffy brown head popped up from between his thumb and fingers, giving a merry chirp in his direction. Akio pushed his hand up to make a comfortable snuggling position. Tanaka gave a small smile and brushed his thumb against the top of her head.  
“Ah, sorry, maybe I can write about you?” he said. She gave no response back.  
He turned his head back to his work and began writing.  
\----

Winter hit like a stone from above.

The plants were covered in piles of snow. The trees appeared dead and barren, like corpses flowing in the violent wind of a storm. Tanaka resented winter, although, it was the last thing on his mind at that moment.

Akio had recently not been herself. She moved less than she had before and never sang a single note like she used to do so happily. Now, as he pulled his knees in and hugged them, she lay under a warm reading light while covered under a dry towel. Even covered, he could see the rapid movements of her chest as it rose and fell in an attempt to hang on to her life. Tanaka could only watch. He had nothing to offer her, the vets were all closed, even if they weren’t, he wouldn’t be able to reach them in this storm. All he could do was be there as she attempted to fight the most ferocious battle of her life. Yet, somehow, it didn’t feel right.  
“Akio, it’s ok, everything leaves me at some point. It’s my curse.” He muttered quietly. The bird continued to press on with her breaths. His throat struggled to hold back his words, clenching tightly until it was sore. They soon found their escape from the gates of his lips.  
“But, you’re not like them, you did more for me than any of them did. Even if you can’t understand me or weren’t even listening, you were there with me. So, if you leave, I’ll be fine. You can let go.” 

Beneath the towel her chest slowed down, until it had become apparent that it had stopped altogether. Her lifeless body lay down on the table. Tanaka hugged his legs tighter, burrowing his head into his knees.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if i butchered his character as a child
> 
> forgive me


End file.
